NFC collision avoidance with controllable NFC transmission delay timing

ABSTRACT

A first near field communication (NFC) circuit includes an antenna, a charging circuit, a transceiver circuit, and a transmission delay circuit. The antenna is configured to inductively couple to signals emitted by a second NFC circuit. The charging circuit is configured to output power provided by the inductive coupling through the antenna to the signals emitted by the second NFC circuit. The transceiver circuit is configured to be powered by the charging circuit to transmit data for receipt by the second NFC circuit. The transmission delay circuit is configured to be powered by the charging circuit and control the transceiver circuit to delay transmission of the data until expiration of a defined delay time after the transceiver circuit has become sufficiently powered on to operate to transmit the data. Related accessories for user equipment, user equipment, and methods are disclosed.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/462,015, filed Aug. 18, 2014, which itself claims priority to U.S.provisional Patent Application No. 61/942,716, filed 21 Feb. 2014, thedisclosure and content of both of which are incorporated by referenceherein in their entireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to wireless communication user equipmentand, more particularly, to mobile phones and related accessories such ascovers that are attachable to mobile phones.

BACKGROUND

Cell phones and other user equipment are increasingly including nearfield communication (NFC) circuits that can be used to communicate withexternal NFC circuits. Users can now operate user equipment to providecredit/debit account information to retail point-of-sale terminals, readdata from NFC tags on items, determine the presence and absence of NFCtagged items, and perform other desirable operations. Unfortunately,with the tremendous proliferation of NFC circuits there are alsoincreasing opportunities for time overlapping collisions to occurbetween the transmissions of nearby NFC circuits that can interfere withor prevent a user equipment from carrying out communications with atargeted NFC circuit.

SUMMARY

One embodiment of the present disclosure is directed to a first NFCcircuit that includes an antenna, a charging circuit, a transceivercircuit, and a transmission delay circuit. The antenna is configured toinductively couple to signals emitted by a second NFC circuit. Thecharging circuit is configured to output power provided by the inductivecoupling through the antenna to the signals emitted by the second NFCcircuit. The transceiver circuit is configured to be powered by thecharging circuit to transmit data for receipt by the second NFC circuit.The transmission delay circuit is configured to be powered by thecharging circuit and control the transceiver circuit to delaytransmission of the data until expiration of a defined delay time afterthe transceiver circuit has become sufficiently powered on to operate totransmit the data.

In some further embodiments, the transceiver circuit may be configuredto receive a delay setting signal transmitted by the second NFC circuit,and the transmission delay circuit is configured to set the defineddelay time based on the delay setting signal.

The transmission delay circuit may be configured to respond to the delaysetting signal by disabling subsequent transmission of data by thetransceiver circuit until the first NFC circuit is powered off and backon.

The transmission delay circuit may be configured to set the defineddelay time based on determining that signals from a third NFC circuitwere received by the transceiver circuit within a threshold time afterthe transceiver circuit became sufficiently powered on to operate totransmit the data. The transmission delay circuit may be configured toset the defined delay time to disable transmission of the data by thetransceiver circuit until the first NFC circuit is subsequently poweredoff and back on.

The transmission delay circuit may be configured to set the defineddelay time based on determining that signals from a third NFC circuitwere received by the transceiver circuit while the transceiver circuitis transmitting the data. The transmission delay circuit may beconfigured to set the defined delay time to disable further transmissionof the data by the transceiver circuit until the first NFC circuit issubsequently powered off and back on.

The transmission delay circuit may be configured to count a number oftimes that data has been transmitted by the transceiver circuit, and toset the defined delay time based on the count. The transmission delaycircuit may change the defined delay time from a first delay value to alonger second delay value based on the count exceeding a threshold countvalue.

The transmission delay circuit may be configured to incrementallyincrease the defined delay time based on each data transmission by thetransceiver circuit until a maximum delay time is reached.

The first NFC circuit may further include a delay control switchconnected to the transmission delay circuit and configured to bemechanically actuated by a user. While the delay control switch ismechanically actuated the transmission delay circuit controls thetransceiver circuit to immediately transmit the data when sufficientlypowered on to operate to transmit the data, and while the delay controlswitch is not mechanically actuated the transmission delay circuitcontrols the transceiver circuit to delay transmission of the data untilexpiration of the defined delay time after the transceiver circuit hasbecome sufficiently powered on to operate to transmit the data.

In another embodiment, the first NFC circuit includes a delay controlswitch connected to the transmission delay circuit and configured to bemechanically actuated by a user. While the delay control switch ismechanically actuated the transmission delay circuit controls thetransceiver circuit to delay transmission of the data until expirationof the defined delay time after the transceiver circuit has becomesufficiently powered on to operate to transmit the data, and while thedelay control switch is not mechanically actuated the transmission delaycircuit controls the transceiver circuit to be disabled fromtransmitting the data.

Some other embodiments are directed to an accessory for a userequipment. The accessory includes a housing that is connectable to theuser equipment, and a first NFC circuit attached to the housing. Thefirst NFC circuit includes an antenna, a charging circuit, a transceivercircuit, and a transmission delay circuit. The antenna is configured toinductively couple to signals emitted by a second NFC circuit. Thecharging circuit is configured to output power provided by the inductivecoupling through the antenna to the signals emitted by the second NFCcircuit. The transceiver circuit is configured to be powered by thecharging circuit to transmit data for receipt by the second NFC circuit.The transmission delay circuit is configured to be powered by thecharging circuit and control the transceiver circuit to delaytransmission of the data until expiration of a defined delay time afterthe transceiver circuit has become sufficiently powered on to operate totransmit the data.

In some further embodiments, the transceiver circuit may be configuredto receive a delay setting signal transmitted by the second NFC circuit,and the transmission delay circuit may be configured to set the defineddelay time based on the delay setting signal.

The transmission delay circuit may be configured to respond to the delaysetting signal by disabling subsequent transmission of data by thetransceiver circuit to the second NFC circuit until the first NFCcircuit is powered off and back on.

The transmission delay circuit may be configured to set the defineddelay time based on determining that signals from a third NFC circuitwere received by the transceiver circuit within a threshold time afterthe transceiver circuit became sufficiently powered on to operate totransmit the data.

The transmission delay circuit may be configured to set the defineddelay time based on determining that signals from a third NFC circuitwere received by the transceiver circuit while the transceiver circuitis transmitting the data.

The transmission delay circuit may be configured to count a number oftimes that data has been transmitted by the transceiver circuit, and toset the defined delay time based on the count.

The transmission delay circuit may be configured to incrementallyincrease the defined delay time based on each data transmission by thetransceiver circuit until a maximum delay time is reached.

The first NFC circuit may further include a delay control switchconnected to the transmission delay circuit and configured to bemechanically actuated by a user. While the delay control switch ismechanically actuated the transmission delay circuit controls thetransceiver circuit to immediately transmit the data when sufficientlypowered on to operate to transmit the data, and while the delay controlswitch is not mechanically actuated the transmission delay circuitcontrols the transceiver circuit to delay transmission of the data untilexpiration of the defined delay time after the transceiver circuit hasbecome sufficiently powered on to operate to transmit the data.

In another embodiment, the first NFC circuit includes a delay controlswitch connected to the transmission delay circuit and configured to bemechanically actuated by a user. While the delay control switch ismechanically actuated the transmission delay circuit controls thetransceiver circuit to delay transmission of the data until expirationof the defined delay time after the transceiver circuit has becomesufficiently powered on to operate to transmit the data, and while thedelay control switch is not mechanically actuated the transmission delaycircuit controls the transceiver circuit to be disabled fromtransmitting the data.

The accessory may comprise a cover configured to protect a surface ofthe user equipment and/or a stand that supports and holds the userequipment in a defined orientation.

Some other embodiments are directed to a user equipment that includes afirst NFC circuit and a processor. The first NFC circuit is configuredto emit a signal to provide power through inductive coupling to a secondNFC circuit of an accessory configured to be used with the userequipment. The processor is configured to transmit a delay settingsignal through the first NFC circuit to the second NFC circuit of theaccessory that controls a defined delay time that the second NFC circuitdelays before beginning to transmit data after the second NFC circuithas become sufficiently powered on to operate to transmit the data.

In some further embodiments, the processor may be configured to transmitthe delay setting signal through the first NFC circuit to the second NFCcircuit based on determining that signals from a third NFC circuit werereceived by the first NFC circuit within a threshold time after thefirst NFC circuit began emitting the signal to provide power throughinductive coupling to the second NFC circuit of the accessory.

The processor may be configured to transmit the defined delay timethrough the first NFC circuit to the second NFC circuit based ondetermining that signals from a third NFC circuit were received by thefirst NFC circuit while the first NFC circuit was receiving the datafrom the second NFC circuit of the accessory.

Other NFC circuits, accessories for user equipment, user equipment, andmethods according to other embodiments will be or become apparent to onewith skill in the art upon review of the following drawings and detaileddescription. It is intended that all such additional NFC circuits,accessories for user equipment, user equipment, and methods be includedwithin this description, be within the scope of the present invention,and be protected by the accompanying claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Aspects of the present disclosure are illustrated by way of example andare not limited by the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 illustrates an accessory, such as a cover or stand, that isattachable to a user equipment, where each has a NFC circuit accordingto some embodiments;

FIG. 2 illustrates the accessory attached in a stored position relativeto the user equipment of FIG. 1 according to some embodiments;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of components of an accessory and a userequipment which both have NFC circuits configured according to someembodiments;

FIG. 4 illustrates a removable conductive sticker configured to shieldthe NFC circuit from other device NFC signals and prevent unauthorizedactivation of the NFC circuit, according to some embodiments;

FIG. 5 illustrates another embodiment of a removable conductive stickerconfigured to short-circuit one or more components of the NFC circuit toprevent unauthorized activation of the NFC circuit, according to someembodiments;

FIG. 6 illustrates a conductive bag configured according to someembodiments to shield an accessory NFC circuit from other device NFCsignals while the accessory is contained in the conductive bag;

FIG. 7 illustrates a removable film that contains a NFC circuit and isattachable to a user equipment;

FIG. 8 illustrates a removable conductive sticker that is used to shieldthe NFC circuit of the film of FIG. 7 from other device NFC signals andprevent unauthorized activation of the NFC circuit, according to someembodiments;

FIG. 9 illustrates a data flow diagram and flowchart of operations thatcan be performed by a point-of-sale terminal, a server, and a userequipment to obtain and use information from an accessory NFC circuit toprovide an application, operational feature, and/or other content to theuser equipment;

FIG. 10 illustrates a data flow diagram and flowchart of operations thatcan be performed by a user equipment and a server to obtain and useinformation from an accessory NFC circuit to provide an application,operational feature, and/or other content to the user equipment;

FIGS. 11-15 illustrate flowcharts of operations and methods that may beperformed by a NFC circuit in accordance with some embodiments; and

FIG. 16-18 illustrate flowcharts of operations and methods that may beperformed by a user equipment accordance with some embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are setforth in order to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of theinvention. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the artthat the present invention may be practiced without these specificdetails. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, componentsand circuits have not been described in detail so as not to obscure thepresent invention. It is intended that all embodiments disclosed hereincan be implemented separately or combined in any way and/or combination.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to anaccessory for a user equipment (“UE”). FIG. 1 illustrates an accessory100 that is configured according to some embodiments for use with a UE300. The accessory 100 includes a housing 102 that slides (e.g., alongdirection 101) on the UE 300 to become attached in a stored positionrelative to the UE 300. FIG. 2 illustrates the accessory 100 attached ina stored position relative to the UE 300 of FIG. 1 according to someembodiments. Although some embodiments of the accessory 100 aredescribed as being configured to slide-on the UE 300, other embodimentsmay snap on, adhesively connect to, or otherwise maintain contact withor NFC communication range with the UE 300.

In one embodiment, the housing 102 has raised edge surfaces along atleast two sides that form a central recessed surface area that extendsto a recessed end of the housing to receive the UE 300 slid through therecessed end of the housing toward the stored position where the raisededge surfaces engage and retain the UE 300 in the stored position.

The accessory 100 may be a cover that, for example, protects a backsurface of the UE 300, or a stand, such as a handsfree phone accessory,that supports and holds the UE 300 in a defined orientation. The UE 300may be a cellular phone, a tablet computer, a palmtop computer, a mobilemusic/video player, or any other electronic device.

The accessory 100 has a NFC circuit 110, which is referred to as the“accessory NFC circuit 110”, that is located on the housing 102, and maybe at least partially disposed within the housing 102 or reside entirelywithin the housing 102. The UE 300 has another NFC circuit 310, which isreferred to as the “UE NFC circuit 310”. Thus, depending upon theproximity and configuration of the NFC circuits 110 and 310 while theaccessory 100 is attached in the stored position relative to the UE 300,the accessory NFC circuit 110 may interfere with the ability of the UENFC circuit 310 to communicate with a NFC circuit of a targeted device,such as a point of sale credit card processing terminal, a NFC tag on aproduct, which a user is attempting to communicate with through the UE300.

For example, absent use of various embodiments disclosed herein, theaccessory NFC circuit 110 could be positioned between the UE NFC circuit310 and the NFC circuit of the targeted device, and located much closerto the UE NFC circuit 310 than the NFC circuit of the targeted device.Transmissions from the accessory NFC circuit 110 may thereby undesirablyinterfere (collide) with transmissions from the targeted device, andprevent reliable receipt by the UE 300 of data from the NFC circuit ofthe targeted device.

However, in accordance with some embodiments disclosed herein, theaccessory NFC circuit 110 is attached at a location on the housing 102and configured to be powered by inductive coupling to signals emitted bythe other NFC circuit 310 within the UE 300 to temporarily operate totransmit data to the UE NFC circuit 310 as the accessory NFC circuit 110passes over the UE NFC circuit 310 while the housing 102 is being slidon the UE 300 before reaching the stored position relative to the UE300.

In some further embodiments, the accessory NFC circuit 110 becomespowered by inductive coupling to signals emitted by the UE NFC circuit310 to temporarily operate to transmit data to the UE NFC circuit 310 asthe accessory NFC circuit 110 passes over the UE NFC circuit 310 whilethe housing 102 is being slid off the UE 300. Furthermore, while thehousing 102 is in the stored position relative to the UE 300, theaccessory NFC circuit 110 is inhibited or prevented from transmittingdata to the UE NFC circuit 310 irrespective of whether the UE NFCcircuit 310 is emitting signals to attempt to provide inductive couplingto the accessory NFC circuit 110.

While the housing 102 is in the stored position relative to the UE 300,the accessory NFC circuit 110 is too remotely located from the UE NFCcircuit 310 to be sufficiently powered by any inductive coupling tosignals emitted by the UE NFC circuit 310 to operate the transmit data,according to one embodiment. For example, as shown in the embodiment ofFIG. 2, the housing 102 has a top 202 that is adjacent an ear speaker340 (FIG. 3) of the UE 300 and a bottom 204 that is adjacent amicrophone 342 (FIG. 3) of the UE 300 while the housing 102 is in thestored position relative to the UE 300. The accessory NFC circuit 110 islocated adjacent the bottom of the housing 102 and spaced apart bydistance 200 to be remote from the UE NFC circuit 310 located adjacentthe ear speaker of the UE 300. A location where the accessory NFCcircuit 110 is fixed to the accessory 100 can be selected to providesufficient communication isolation between the NFC circuits 110 and 310to inhibit or prevent data transmission by the accessory NFC circuit 110while the housing 102 is in the stored position relative to the UE 300.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of components of the accessory 100 and the UE300 that are connectable and configured to operate according to someembodiments. The UE 300 can include a housing 302, a processor circuit320, a radio access transceiver 330, a NFC circuit 310, a memorydevice(s) 322, a display device 326, a user input interface 324 (e.g.,touch sensitive interface for the display device 326, keypad/keyboard,button(s)/switch(es), etc.), a power source 328 (e.g., rechargeablebattery) that supplies power to these and other components, a speaker340, and a microphone 342. The radio access transceiver 330 may include,but is not limited to, a LTE or other cellular transceiver, Bluetoothtransceiver, WiFi transceiver, WiMax transceiver, or other communicationtransceiver is configured to communicate with a network node of atelecommunications system. The processor 320 may include one or moredata processing circuits, such as a general purpose and/or specialpurpose processor, such as a microprocessor and/or digital signalprocessor. The processor 320 is configured to execute computer programinstructions from functional modules in the memory 322, described belowas a computer readable medium, to perform at least some of theoperations and methods described herein as being performed by a userequipment.

The accessory 100 includes a NFC circuit 110 (e.g., accessory NFCcircuit) that can be powered by and communicate with the UE NFC circuit310 using short-range high frequency wireless communication technologywhich enables the exchange of data between devices over about a 10 cmdistance, although the NFC circuits 110 and 310 are not limited tooperating in any defined range. The communication protocol and operationcan be an extension of the ISO 14443 proximity-card standard (e.g.,contactless card, RFID) and can be specified in the ECMA-340 and ISO/IEC18092 technology standards. Some embodiments of the NFC circuits 110 and310 may communicate using existing ISO 14443 smartcards and readers andcan thereby be compatible with existing contactless communicationinfrastructure.

The NFC circuits 110 and 310 may communicate via magnetic fieldinduction. A loop antenna 316 connected to the NFC circuit 310 and aloop antenna 108 of the accessory NFC circuit 110 are placed in closeproximity to each other within the other's antenna near field, therebyeffectively forming an air-core transformer. Some embodiments of the NFCcircuits 110 and 310 can transmit within the globally available andunlicensed radio frequency ISM band of 13.56 MHz, with a bandwidth ofalmost 2 MHz. Some embodiments of the NFC circuits 110 and 310 cansupport data rates of 106, 212, or 424 kbit/s using a modified Millercoding or Manchester coding to encode and decode communicated data.

The accessory NFC circuit 110 can be configured to operate in a passivecommunication mode, because the accessory 100 does not have its ownpower source. In contrast, the UE NFC circuit 310 can be configured tooperate in an active communication mode because of the power source 322(FIG. 3), e.g., rechargeable battery, of the UE 300. When operating inthe passive communication mode, the UE NFC circuit 310 provides acarrier field and the accessory NFC circuit 110 answers by modulatingthe carrier field. In this mode, the accessory NFC circuit 110 generatesits operating power from the NFC circuit 310 provided electromagneticfield, thus making the accessory NFC circuit 110 a transponder. In someother embodiments the accessory NFC circuit 110 contains a power supplyand is configured to operate in an active communication mode.

The NFC circuit 110 includes a charging circuit 106 that can becomeinductively coupled to the UE NFC circuit 310 through the antenna 108 togenerate power therefrom, and which it provides to a transceiver circuit104. The transceiver circuit 104 transmits data through the antenna 108to the UE NFC circuit 310 using the power from the charging circuit 106.The transceiver circuit 104 may optionally be configured to receive datathrough the antenna 108 from the UE NFC circuit 310.

After an initial receipt and use of information from the accessory NFCcircuit 110, the UE 300 may be configured to subsequently ignoreinformation from the accessory NFC circuit 110 to avoid interferencewith communications between the NFC circuit 310 of the UE 300 and otherNFC devices.

Using NFC Enabled Accessories to Provide Movies, Music, Games, Books,Promotional Information, Coupons, and Other Content

NFC enabled accessories for UEs can be sold or otherwise provided toconsumers to provide applications that are executable by the UEs,activate operational features of the UEs, and/or to provide othercontent to the UE. The content may include, for example, movies, music(e.g., songs, ring tones, etc.), electronic books, television programs,games, discount coupons, promotional information, etc.

A movie studio may sell or otherwise provide movie themed covers orother accessories for UEs. The accessories can include a NFC circuitwhich transmits information that is used by the UE to obtain contentfrom a content server and/or to unlock/activate content that may alreadyreside on the UE that relates to the movie. For example, a NFC circuitmay transmit information that contains a universal resource locator(URL) address to particular content stored on a content server, which isaccessible through a data network, that can be retrieved bydownloading/streaming the movie, music relating to the movie, backgrounddisplay image(s) relating to the movie, promotional information relatingto the movie, discount that can be redeemed to purchase or temporarilyview the movie, etc. A business may therefore work with a contentprovider to make content available through a network content server(e.g., a cloud service server), and can configure an accessory NFCcircuit to transmit a URL to the location of the content stored on theserver. The accessory NFC circuit may further transmit authorizationinformation that can be used by the server to confirm that a UErequesting access to the content is indeed authorized to obtain suchaccess through use of the accessory NFC circuit.

Other covers/accessories can be provided by music promoters, gamedevelopers, sports teams, and/or retail businesses that include a NFCcircuit 110 which transmits information that is used by the UE to obtaincontent from a content server and/or to unlock/activate content that mayalready reside on the UE relating. For example, the NFC circuit 110 maytransmit information that contains a URL to particular content stored ona content server, which is accessible through a data network, that canbe retrieved by downloading/streaming the music or game, photographicimage(s) relating to the music/game/business, promotional informationrelating to the music/game/business, discount that can be redeemed topurchase or temporarily access the music/game, and/or that can be usedwhen purchasing through the business.

The information may contain a URL that points to server location thatcan provide a plurality of content themes that can be provided to theUE, contain a theme ID that specifies a particular content theme thatcan be provided to the UE, and/or contain a unique ID, such as an IDthat is unique from other accessory NFC circuits, that is used to obtaina user/UE specific license to content.

For example, an online retailer may sell or otherwise provide phonecovers having visible, e.g., printed, branding relating to the onlineretailer or partner thereof and including a NFC circuit which transmitsinformation that can be used by the UE to download a retail applicationfrom a content server, and which may further provide a discount couponthat be used when purchasing through the online retailer. By way ofanother example, a restaurant may sell or otherwise provide phone covershaving visible branding relating to the restaurant and/or a businesspartner, e.g., a movie studio, music artist, sports team, etc. beingpromoted by the restaurant, and which provides a URL to a location on acontent server having promotional information relating to the restaurantand/or the business partner. Other business models that may beneficiallyuse NFC enabled accessories to provide content to users can includesponsorship businesses, charitable businesses, telecommunicationprovider businesses, movie studios/distributors, musicstudios/distributors, and retailers. The NFC enabled accessories canencourage and facilitate collaborative business relationships betweenaccessory manufacturers, UE manufacturers, UE operators, and/or contentproviders to distribute content through UEs for use by targeted users.

Information received by a UE from the cover NFC circuit may provide alimited duration license, a limited number of use license, a partiallypaid-up subscription-based license, or a fully paid-up perpetual licensefor use of defined content on the UE. A content license may requirecontinuing presence of the cover NFC circuit, such that removal of thecover from the UE automatically terminates the license and disables useof the content. The cover NFC circuit may thereby control licensing ofcontent.

In the embodiment of FIG. 3, the UE 300 can communicate informationthrough the radio access transceiver 330 to a content server to, forexample, download an application program for execution by the processor320 of the UE 300. The UE 300 may obtain from the content server text,graphics, photographic images (e.g., background display wallpaper,locked screen display wallpaper, etc.), an electronic book, movie,television program, and/or other content for display on the displaydevice 326 of the UE 300, and/or music (e.g., song, ringtone, etc.) orother audio content to be played through the speaker 340 of the UE 300.In a further embodiment, the accessory NFC circuit 110 transmits aproduct code or other information to the UE NFC circuit 310 thatactivates functionality within the user equipment 300. The UE 300 maycommunicate through the radio access transceiver 330 to the contentserver to, for example, obtain an activation code for an applicationhosted by the UE 300.

Controlling Activation of Accessory NFC Circuit

As explained above, NFC enabled covers for UEs can be sold to consumersto provide applications that are executable by the UEs, activateoperational features of the UEs, and/or to provide other content to theUE. Because activation of the accessory NFC circuit 110 causestransmission of information that can be used to obtain applications,movies, music, and other proprietary and valuable content, it can beimportant to control who obtains such information. For example, it isenvisioned that NFC enabled accessories can be displayed within storesfor sale or otherwise made publicly accessible. It can therefore beimportant to prevent unauthorized reading of information from theaccessory NFC circuit 110 by a person who, for example, seeks to obtainaccess to the content without purchasing the accessory.

Some embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to controllinghow the accessory NFC circuit 110 is initially or subsequentlyactivated. One or more of these embodiments can be used to prevent aperson from using a UE or other NFC reader device to activate anaccessory NFC circuit 110 to read information until actions are taken toallow such activation of the NFC circuit 110.

Shielding by a Removable Conductive Sticker

FIG. 4 illustrates an accessory 100 having a NFC circuit 110. The NFCcircuit 110 is covered by a removable conductive sticker 400 that isconfigured according to one embodiment and positioned over the NFCcircuit 110 to shield the NFC circuit 110 from NFC signals generated byan adjacent NFC reader device. The conductive sticker 400 may includeconductive (e.g., metal) mesh wiring or a conductive (e.g., metal) layerthat extends across at least a major portion of the antenna 108, extendsacross the entire antenna 108, or extends across the entire NFC circuit110 to shield the antenna 108 from NFC signals that are generated by anadjacent NFC reader device. The conductive portion of the sticker 400may be electrically connected to a ground plane of the NFC circuit 110to raise a voltage of the ground plane responsive to shielded NFCsignals and, thereby, nullify any inductive coupling of the NFC signalsto the antenna 108. The NFC circuit 110 can be enabled for activation byremoving (e.g., peeling-off) the conductive sticker 400.

Removing the conductive sticker 400 eliminates the shielding and enablesthe NFC circuit 110 to be inductively powered by NFC signals from a NFCreader device. A user may therefore be instructed to remove theconductive sticker 400 after purchasing or otherwise receiving theaccessory 100 to enable initial activation of the accessory NFC circuit110. The conductive sticker 400 may be reinstalled, e.g., reattached toits original position, after the user has operated the UE 300 to readinformation from the accessory NFC circuit 110. Reinstalling theconductive sticker 400 can prevent an unauthorized other NFC readerdevice from reading information from the accessory NFC circuit 110 and,thereby, prevent unauthorized access to the applications, operationalfeatures, and/or other content authorized to the user by possession ofthe accessory 100.

FIG. 5 illustrates some other embodiments of a removable conductivesticker 500 that electrically connects to one or more locations on theantenna 108, a ground plane of the NFC circuit 100, and/or to anothercircuit node of the NFC circuit 100. The conductive sticker 500 mayinclude conductive, e.g., metal, mesh wiring, a conductive, e.g., metal,layer, or conductive line. The conductive sticker 500 may electricallyconnect two locations on the antenna 108 to render the antenna 108inoperable for receiving sufficient power from NFC signals from a NFCreader device to prevent operational powering of the NFC circuit 110. Inone embodiment, the conductive sticker 500 connects an end portion 109 aof the antenna 108 that is remote from the transceiver circuit 110 andanother portion 109 b of the antenna 108 that is adjacent to thetransceiver circuit 104, thereby providing a short-circuit across theantenna 108. The antenna 108 may be covered by a protective layer buthave one or more openings, e.g. via holes, exposed through theprotective layer that are configured to allow electrical connectionbetween the exposed portion(s) of the antenna 108 and the conductivesticker 500.

In another embodiment, the conductive sticker 500 electrically connectsthe antenna 108 to a ground plane of the NFC circuit 110 toshort-circuit the antenna 108. Accordingly, the ground plane may also becovered by a protective layer having openings that expose a portion ofthe ground plane for electrical connection to the conductive sticker500.

In another embodiment, the conductive sticker 500 electrically connectsthe antenna 108 to a circuit node between the transceiver circuit 104and the charging circuit 106 to render the charging circuit 106incapable of generating sufficient power to operate the NFC circuit 110.

Removing the conductive sticker 500 eliminates the electrical connectiontherethrough and enables inductive powering of the NFC circuit 110 byNFC signals from a NFC reader device, such as the user equipment 300. Auser may therefore be instructed to remove the conductive sticker 500after purchasing or otherwise receiving the accessory 100 to enableinitial activation of the NFC circuit 110 of the accessory 100. Theconductive sticker 500 may be reinstalled, e.g. reattached to itsoriginal position, after the user has operated the UE 300 to readinformation from the accessory NFC circuit 110. Reinstalling theconductive sticker 500 can prevent an unauthorized other NFC readerdevice from reading information from the accessory NFC circuit 110 and,thereby, prevent unauthorized access to the applications, operationalfeatures, and/or other content authorized to the user by possession ofthe accessory 100.

Conductive Bag for Shielding Accessory NFC Circuit

FIG. 6 illustrates the accessory 100 that is within a conductive bag600. The conductive bag 600 may include conductive, e.g., metal, meshwiring or a conductive (e.g., metal) layer that extends entirely aroundthe NFC circuit 110 and may extend entirely around the accessory 100residing within the conductive bag 600. The conductive bag 600 shieldsthe NFC circuit 110 therein from NFC signals generated by a NFC readerdevice and, thereby, prevents operational powering of the NFC circuit110. While the accessory 100 is within the conductive bag 600, a usercannot energize the NFC circuit 110 to receive information therefrom.Thus, the conductive bag 600 can prevent unauthorized access to (e.g.,theft of) information from the NFC circuit 110 before the accessory 110is purchased or other provided to an authorized user.

A user may therefore be instructed to remove the accessory 100 from theconductive bag 600 before attempting to operate the UE 300 to read orotherwise activate the accessory NFC circuit 110.

Accessory Configured as a Removable Film

FIG. 7 illustrates a film 700 that can be removably attached to a majorsurface of the UE 300. The film 700 includes a NFC circuit 110. The NFCcircuit 110 may be attached to the film 700, e.g., adhesively connectedthereto, or may be at least partially disposed or entire enclosed withina material of the film 700.

In one embodiment, one surface of the film 700 has an adhesive or stickysurface that can adhere to a back surface of the UE 300, such a backsurface that is opposite to a front surface having a display or userinterface. A user may thereby adhere the film 700 to a surface of the UE300 to enable the UE NFC circuit 310 to read information from theaccessory NFC circuit 110.

The film NFC circuit 110 communicate information to the UE 300 is usedto customize operation of the UE 300 and/or that is used by the UE 300to obtain content from a content server through a communication network.For example, the film NFC circuit 110 may identify a set of parametersused by the UE 300 to customize operation for a geographic region of theworld and/or to comply with telecommunication operator preferences. Whenthe UE 300 is initially set up, it can read the parameters from the filmNFC circuit 110 and control its initial setup responsive thereto. A usercan be instructed to remove (e.g., peel off) the film 700 aftercompletion of the initial UE setup to avoid potential interference fromthe film NFC circuit 110 when the NFC circuit 310 of the UE 300communicates with other NFC communication devices.

FIG. 8 illustrates the film 700 applied to the UE 300 of FIG. 7. Aconductive sticker 500 has been connected to the film to shield theaccessory NFC circuit 110 from NFC signals from the UE 300 and/or fromanother NFC device. The conductive sticker 500 may be configuredaccording to one or more of the embodiments of FIGS. 4 and 5.

The conductive sticker 500 may shield the NFC circuit 110 from NFCsignals from a NFC reader device other than the 300 UE. For example, asshown in FIG. 8, the conductive sticker 500 may be on a side of the film700 that is opposite to a side of the film 700 contacting the UE 300.The conductive sticker 500 can operate to shield the covered NFC circuit110 from NFC signals from a NFC device which would need to penetratethrough the conductive sticker 500 to energize the NFC circuit 110,while allowing the NFC circuit 110 to communicate with the NFC circuit310 within the UE 300. Such operation may be advantageous toprevent/inhibit reading of information from the NFC circuit 110 by adevice other than the UE 300.

The conductive sticker 500 may be configured to reduce the effectivecommunication range of the NFC circuit 110 so as to reduce the abilityof another NFC reader device to receive information from the NFC circuit110 while the film 700 is attached to the UE 300. The conductive sticker500 may, for example, electrically connect to one or more locations onthe antenna 108 to reduce the effective length of the antenna 108 and/orinductive coupling efficiency of the antenna 108. The antenna 108 may becovered by material of the film 700, which material may be patterned toprovide one or more openings exposing a location(s) on the antenna 108that is electrically connectable to the conductive sticker 500. The oneor more locations can be selected to enable the NFC circuit 310 of theUE 300 to communicate with the NFC circuit 110 of the film 700, whileeffectively preventing another further spaced apart NFC reader devicefrom communicating with the NFC circuit 110 (e.g., prevent a NFC readerdevice more remote than the UE 300 from being able to operationallypower the NFC circuit 110 through inductive coupling and/or prevent theNFC reader device from receiving information transmitted by the NFCcircuit 110).

Point-of-Sale Communication of Information from NFC Enabled Accessory

FIG. 9 illustrates a data flow diagram and flowchart of operations thatcan be performed by a point-of-sale terminal 900, a content server 910,and a UE 300 to obtain and use information from an accessory NFC circuittag (NFC tag) to provide an application, operational feature, and/orcontent to the UE 300.

Referring to FIG. 9, the point-of-sale terminal 200, such as a retailsale checkout terminal, can be operated to scan (block 920) the NFC tagto obtain information therefrom. The point-of-sale terminal 900generates (block 922), based on the information from the NFC tag, amessage that can contain a URL to a location of an application,operational feature, and/or other content that is stored on the contentserver 910, a tag ID or unique identifier for the NFC tag, a request fora defined operational feature, user data that identifies contactinformation for the user and/or identifies the UE, such as a mobileterminal ID, network address, telephone number, etc. The point-of-saleterminal 900 communicates (block 924) the message to the content server910.

The content server 910 may validate (block 926) information in themessage to confirm that the UE 300 is authorized to receive content. Ifthe information is not properly validated the operations can cease,otherwise the operations can continue by recording (block 928) user dataand other information contained in the message to, for example, documentwhat content has been provided to the UE 300. The content server 910obtains (block 930) that content, which as explained above may includean application, authorization information to activate an operationalfeature, a movie, music, game, promotional information, discount coupon,etc. The content is communicated (block 932) to the user equipment 300.

Depending upon characteristics of the received content, the UE 300 mayinstall (block 934) an application, game, background image, such as animage displayed as background in the display device 326 of the UE 300.The UE 300 may use data read from the NFC circuit 110 to set, change, ordefined features of the application. The UE may activate (block 936) anoperational feature provided by executable program code and/or mayactivate content that resides in or is downloaded to the UE 300. The UEmay play (block 938) a movie, music, or other multimedia content that isdownloaded and/or streamed from the content server 910.

Other communications may occur between the point of sale terminal 900and the content server 910, and/or between the content server 910 andthe user equipment 300 during the operations of blocks 920-938 and/or inaddition to those operations to control access to and use of the contentby the UE 300.

Controlling Application Installation and Content Operation Using NFCEnabled Accessories

FIG. 10 illustrates a data flow diagram and flowchart of operations thatcan be performed by a UE 300 and a content server 910 to obtain and useinformation from an accessory NFC circuit to provide an application,operational feature, and/or other content to the UE 300.

Referring to FIG. 10, the UE 300 is operated to scan (block 1000) theNFC tag to obtain information therefrom. The UE 300 communicates (block1002) an application request message based on the information from theNFC tag. The application request message may contain a URL to anapplication stored on the content server 910.

The content server 910 may validate (block 1004) information in theapplication request message to confirm that the UE 300 is authorized toreceive an application. If the information is not properly validated theoperations can cease, otherwise the operations can continue by recording(block 1006) a UE ID and/or information from the NFC tag to, forexample, document what application will be provided to which UE. Thecontent server 910 obtains (block 1008) the application. The applicationis communicated (block 1010) to the user equipment 300 (e.g., downloadedfrom an applications store).

The UE 300 installs (block 1012) and executes the application. Featuresof the application may be set, changed, or defined based on the content,such as to request location tracking, request access to user contactinformation, request access to communication interface(s), etc. Theapplication obtains (block 1014) information relating to the user, theUE 300 (e.g., user login or other credentials, user name and/or contactinformation, unique UE identifier, etc.), and/or relating to a uniqueidentifier obtained from the NFC tag, and communicates (block 1016) theinformation to the content server 910. The content server 910 can record(block 1018) the information and use the information to confirm that theUE 300 is authorized to receive content (e.g., hash the receivedinformation and compare to expected value) and to select among availablecontent to be provided to the UE 300. The content server 910communicates (block 1020) the content to the UE 300.

Depending upon characteristics of the received content, the applicationexecuted by the UE 300 can play the content (movie, music, game,multimedia content, etc.), use the content to activate an operationalfeature of the application, display a background image contained in thecontent (e.g., an image displayed as background in the display device326 of the UE 300), display an electronic book contained in the content,display promotional information contained in the content, display adiscount coupon contained in the content, etc.

One or more of the operations of blocks 1000-1022 may be performed onceduring initial downloading and playing of the content, or may berepetitively performed in response to each attempt by a user to play orotherwise use content through the UE 300. For example, operations ofblocks 1000-1022 may be used to download and play a movie through anapplication on the UE 300, and then at least some of the operations ofblocks 1000-1022 may be repeated when a user attempts to re-play themovie to confirm that NFC tag information is readable at that time.Thus, for example, a user may cease having authorization to play orotherwise use content when the NFC enabled cover is removed from the UE300. The user may regain authorization to play or otherwise use contentby reinstalling/attaching the NFC enabled cover to the UE 300 so thatthe NFC tag information can be properly scanned and used to enable useof the content. The NFC enabled cover or other accessory may therebyoperate as a key that must be readable by the UE 300 to obtaincontinuing use of content.

Other communications may occur between the content server 910 and theuser equipment 300 during the operations of blocks 1000-1022 and/or inaddition to those operations to control access to and use of the contentby the UE 300.

NFC Transmission Collision Avoidance with Controllable Transmission TimeDelay

With the proliferation of NFC circuits, collisions may occur when a userequipment attempts to read one NFC circuit but unintentionally activatesother nearby NFC circuits which all transmit time overlapping signalsthat can sufficiently interfere or become unreceivable by the userequipment. As explained herein, in some embodiments, the accessory 100can be a cover that is attachable to (e.g., slid on) the UE 300 and/oris a stand that supports and holds the UE 300 in a defined orientation.The NFC circuit 110 of the accessory 100 can therefore be persistentlypositioned relatively very close to the NFC circuit 310 of the UE 300.The NFC circuit 110 would therefore become powered on and transmitwhenever a user operates the UE 300 to attempt to communicate with a NFCcircuit of another targeted device to obtain, e.g., read, informationtherefrom. The targeted device may be targeted device a retailpoint-of-sale terminals for credit/debit processing, a NFC tag onmerchandise, etc. Because the NFC circuit 110 of the accessory 100 canbe much closer to the NFC circuit 310 of the UE 300 then the NFC circuitof the targeted device and thereby provide higher power signals to theUE 300, transmissions from the NFC circuit 110 can interfere with orprevent the NFC circuit 310 of the UE 300 from receiving transmissionsfrom the NFC circuit of the targeted device.

Some embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to avoiding timeoverlapping transmission of signals from a plurality of NFC devices andassociated signal collisions at another NFC reading circuit, bycontrolling timing when signal transmissions are performed from NFCdevices according to a controllable time delay.

In one embodiment, the accessory NFC circuit 110 is configured to delaytransmission of data to the UE NFC circuit 310 until expiration of adefined delay time after the NFC circuit 110 has become sufficientlypowered on to operate to transmit the data. Thus, for example, thetransceiver circuit 104 can be configured to delay a defined time afterit becomes powered on by the charging circuit 106 through inductivecoupling to the UE NFC circuit 310, before transmitting data through theantenna 108. The NFC circuit 110 can include a transmission delaycircuit 350 that is configured to be powered by the charging circuit 106and to control the transceiver circuit 104 to delay its transmission ofthe data until expiration of a defined delay time such as after when thetransceiver circuit 104 has become sufficiently powered on to operate totransmit the data.

Delaying the accessory NFC circuit's 110 data transmission may avoid itsNFC transmission overlapping in time the NFC transmission of a targeteddevice which is configured to transmit data immediately upon beingpowering on through coupling to the UE NFC circuit 310. The transmissiondelay time can therefore be used to avoid or reduce transmissioncollisions and, thereby, avoid or reduce interference with the abilityof the UE NFC circuit 310 to communicate with a NFC circuit of atargeted device.

In some embodiments, the transmission delay time of one NFC circuit canbe controlled by a delay setting signal that is received from anotherNFC circuit. For example, in one embodiment, the accessory NFC circuit110 is configured to receive a delay setting signal transmitted by theUE NFC circuit 310, and to set the defined delay time based on the delaysetting signal. The UE 300 may thereby communicate the delay settingsignal through the UE NFC circuit 310 to control how long the accessoryNFC circuit 110 delays from a defined event, such as after being poweredon before transmitting data.

FIG. 11 illustrates operations and methods that can be performed by aNFC circuit to control its transmission delay time based on a receiveddelay setting signal. Referring to FIG. 11, a first NFC circuit, such asaccessory NFC circuit 110, receives (block 1100) a delay setting signaltransmitted by a second NFC circuit, such as UE NFC circuit 310. Thefirst NFC circuit sets (block 1102) a defined delay time based on thedelay setting signal. The first NFC circuit then controls (block 1104)it's transceiver circuit to delay transmission of data until expirationof the defined delay time after the transceiver circuit has becomesufficiently powered on to operate to transmit the data. Accordingly, inone embodiment, after the transceiver circuit is powered on and hasbecome operationally able to transmit data, it will wait from thatinstant in time until the defined delay time has expired and theninitiate transmission of the data.

In some embodiments the transmission delay circuit 350 determines whenthe defined delay time has expired based on, for example, countingoscillations of a signal emitted by the UE NFC circuit 310, countingoscillations of an internal clock signal, and/or based on charging ofvoltage/power levels from the charging circuit 106 while inductivelycoupled to the NFC circuit 310 and/or based on discharging avoltage/power levels from the charging circuit 106 while inductivelycoupled to or uncoupled from the NFC circuit 310. For example, thetransmission delay circuit 350 may be configured to wait until avoltage/power level output from a rechargeable power circuit (e.g.,capacitive circuit, battery, etc.) in the charging circuit 106 hasdropped, such as during momentary or persistent decoupling from the NFCcircuit 310, by an amount determined based on the defined transmissiondelay time before triggering the transceiver circuit 104 to initiatetransmission of the data.

In some other embodiments, the transmission delay circuit 350 isconfigured to respond to the delay setting signal by disablingsubsequent transmission of data by the transceiver circuit 104 until theNFC circuit 110 is powered off and back on. Accordingly, the delaysetting signal can be transmitted by the UE NFC circuit 310 to disabletransmission from the accessory NFC circuit 110.

An NFC circuit can be configured to autonomously set its transmissiondelay time based on detecting transmission collisions between NFCcircuits, in accordance with some embodiments.

In the embodiment of FIG. 12, the transmission delay circuit 350 isconfigured to set (block 1200) the defined delay time based ondetermining that signals from another NFC circuit, such as a NFC circuitother than the UE NFC circuit 310, were received by the transceivercircuit 104 within a threshold time after the transceiver circuit 104became sufficiently powered on to operate to transmit the data. Thetransmission delay circuit 350 then controls (block 1202) thetransceiver circuit 104 to delay transmission of the data untilexpiration of the defined delay time after the transceiver circuit 104has become sufficiently powered on to operate to transmit the data. Inone embodiment, the transmission delay circuit 350 is configured to setthe defined delay time to disable transmission of the data by thetransceiver circuit 104 until the NFC circuit 110 is subsequentlypowered off and back on.

In the embodiment of FIG. 13, the transmission delay circuit 350 isconfigured to set (block 1300) the defined delay time based ondetermining that signals from another NFC circuit, such as a NFC circuitother than the UE NFC circuit 310, were received by the transceivercircuit 104 while the transceiver circuit 104 is transmitting the data.The transmission delay circuit 350 then controls (block 1302) thetransceiver circuit 104 to delay further transmission of the data untilexpiration of the defined delay time. In one embodiment, thetransmission delay circuit 350 is configured to set the defined delaytime to disable further transmission of the data by the transceivercircuit 104 until the NFC circuit 110 is subsequently powered off andback on.

An NFC circuit can be configured to set its transmission delay timebased on how many times the NFC circuit has transmitted data, inaccordance with some embodiments. Accordingly, when the NFC circuittransmits data during an overlapping time with another NFC circuitactivated by the UE NFC circuit 310, subsequent transmissions by the NFCcircuit will eventually be delay time shifted so that they may notinterfere with the UE NFC circuit 310 receiving data from the other NFCcircuit.

In the embodiment of FIG. 14, the transmission delay circuit 350 isconfigured to count (block 1400) a number of times the data has beentransmitted by the transceiver circuit 104. The transmission delaycircuit 350 sets (block 1402) the defined delay time based on the count.The transmission delay circuit 350 then controls (block 1404) thetransceiver circuit 104 to delay transmission of data until expirationof the defined delay time after the transceiver circuit 104 has becomesufficiently powered on to operate to transmit the data.

In a further embodiment, the transmission delay circuit 350 changes thedefined delay time from a first delay value to a longer second delayvalue based on the count exceeding a threshold count value. The firstdelay value may be zero while the second delay value may be asufficiently large non-zero value to delay transmission sufficiently tolikely avoid overlapping transmissions from another NFC circuit. Thetransmission delay circuit 350 may thereby selectively activate thetransmission delay when the data has been transmitted a defined numberof times.

In the embodiment of FIG. 15, the transmission delay circuit 350 isconfigured to incrementally increase (block 1500) the defined delay timebased on each data transmission by the transceiver circuit 104 until amaximum delay time is reached. The transmission delay circuit 350controls (block 1502) the transceiver circuit 104 to delay transmissionof data until expiration of the defined delay time after the transceivercircuit 104 has become sufficiently powered on to operate to transmitthe data.

When the accessory NFC circuit 110 is configured to repetitivelytransmit data, the transmission delay circuit 350 may incrementallyincrease the time delay between the repetitive transmissions of the datathrough the transceiver circuit 104. Accordingly, although the accessoryNFC circuit 110 may initially transmit signals that collide with signalstransmitted by another NFC circuit, subsequent transmissions from theaccessory NFC circuit 110 will become sufficiently delayed so that theUE NFC circuit 310 can receive the signals from the other NFC circuit.The amount of each incremental increase in the defined delay time can beset based on the transmission time of the data in one transmissionrepetition and/or based on an likely transmission time needed by anotherNFC circuit to transmit data to the UE NFC circuit 310.

Referring again to FIG. 3, the NFC circuit 110 can include a delaycontrol switch 352. The delay control switch 352 is connected to thetransmission delay circuit 350 and configured to be mechanicallyactuated by a user.

In one embodiment, while the delay control switch 352 is mechanicallyactuated the transmission delay circuit controls the transceiver circuit104 to immediately transmit the data when it is sufficiently powered onto operate to transmit the data. In contrast, while the delay controlswitch 352 is not mechanically actuated the transmission delay circuitcontrols the transceiver circuit 104 to delay transmission of the datauntil expiration of the defined delay time after the transceiver circuit104 has become sufficiently powered on to operate to transmit the data.

In another embodiment, while the delay control switch 352 ismechanically actuated the transmission delay circuit controls thetransceiver circuit 104 to delay transmission of the data untilexpiration of the defined delay time after the transceiver circuit 104has become sufficiently powered on to operate to transmit the data. Incontrast, while the delay control switch 352 is not mechanicallyactuated the transmission delay circuit controls the transceiver circuit104 to be disabled from transmitting the data.

Corresponding operations and methods are now explained that can beperformed by a user equipment to control the transmission delay time ofa separate NFC circuit from which it can receive data. Referring to FIG.16, the processor 320 of the UE transmits (block 1600) a delay settingsignal through the UE NFC circuit to an accessory NFC circuit thatcontrols a defined delay time that the accessory NFC circuit delaysbefore beginning to transmit data after the accessory NFC circuit hasbecome sufficiently powered on to operate to transmit the data.

In the embodiment of FIG. 17, the processor 320 is configured totransmit the delay setting signal through the UE NFC circuit 310 to theaccessory NFC circuit 110 based on determining that signals from anotherNFC circuit (e.g., a NFC circuit of a targeted device) were received bythe transceiver circuit within a threshold time after the transceivercircuit began emitting the signal to provide power through inductivecoupling to the second NFC circuit of the accessory.

In the embodiment of FIG. 18, the processor 320 is configured totransmit the defined delay time through the UE NFC circuit 310 to theaccessory NFC circuit 110 based on determining that signals from anotherNFC circuit (e.g., a NFC circuit of a targeted device) were received bythe UE NFC circuit 310 while the UE NFC circuit 310 was receiving thedata from the accessory NFC circuit 110 of the accessory.

Embodiments disclosed herein may thereby avoid or reduce occurrence oftime overlapping transmission of signals from an accessory NFC circuitto improve the ability of a proximately located to communicate with atargeted NFC circuit.

FURTHER DEFINITIONS AND EMBODIMENTS

In the above-description of various embodiments of the presentinvention, it is to be understood that the terminology used herein isfor the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is notintended to be limiting of the invention. Unless otherwise defined, allterms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have thesame meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the artto which this invention belongs. It will be further understood thatterms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should beinterpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning inthe context of this specification and the relevant art and will not beinterpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense expressly so definedherein.

When a node is referred to as being “connected”, “coupled”,“responsive”, or variants thereof to another node, it can be directlyconnected, coupled, or responsive to the other node or intervening nodesmay be present. In contrast, when an node is referred to as being“directly connected”, “directly coupled”, “directly responsive”, orvariants thereof to another node, there are no intervening nodespresent. Like numbers refer to like nodes throughout. Furthermore,“coupled”, “connected”, “responsive”, or variants thereof as used hereinmay include wirelessly coupled, connected, or responsive. As usedherein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to includethe plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. Well-known functions or constructions may not be described indetail for brevity and/or clarity. The term “and/or” includes any andall combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

As used herein, the terms “comprise”, “comprising”, “comprises”,“include”, “including”, “includes”, “have”, “has”, “having”, or variantsthereof are open-ended, and include one or more stated features,integers, nodes, steps, components or functions but does not precludethe presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, nodes,steps, components, functions or groups thereof. Furthermore, as usedherein, the common abbreviation “e.g.”, which derives from the Latinphrase “exempli gratia,” may be used to introduce or specify a generalexample or examples of a previously mentioned item, and is not intendedto be limiting of such item. The common abbreviation “i.e.”, whichderives from the Latin phrase “id est,” may be used to specify aparticular item from a more general recitation.

Example embodiments are described herein with reference to blockdiagrams and/or flowchart illustrations of computer-implemented methods,apparatus (systems and/or devices) and/or computer program products. Itis understood that a block of the block diagrams and/or flowchartillustrations, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/orflowchart illustrations, can be implemented by computer programinstructions that are performed by one or more computer circuits. Thesecomputer program instructions may be provided to a processor circuit ofa general purpose computer circuit, special purpose computer circuit,and/or other programmable data processing circuit to produce a machine,such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of thecomputer and/or other programmable data processing apparatus, transformand control transistors, values stored in memory locations, and otherhardware components within such circuitry to implement thefunctions/acts specified in the block diagrams and/or flowchart block orblocks, and thereby create means (functionality) and/or structure forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the block diagrams and/orflowchart block(s).

These computer program instructions may also be stored in a tangiblecomputer-readable medium that can direct a computer or otherprogrammable data processing apparatus to function in a particularmanner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readablemedium produce an article of manufacture including instructions whichimplement the functions/acts specified in the block diagrams and/orflowchart block or blocks.

A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium may include anelectronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, or semiconductor datastorage system, apparatus, or device. More specific examples of thecomputer-readable medium would include the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a random access memory (RAM) circuit, a read-onlymemory (ROM) circuit, an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory) circuit, a portable compact disc read-only memory(CD-ROM), and a portable digital video disc read-only memory(DVD/BlueRay).

The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computerand/or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series ofoperational steps to be performed on the computer and/or otherprogrammable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process suchthat the instructions which execute on the computer or otherprogrammable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions/actsspecified in the block diagrams and/or flowchart block or blocks.Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention may be embodied inhardware and/or in software (including firmware, resident software,micro-code, etc.) that runs on a processor such as a digital signalprocessor, which may collectively be referred to as “circuitry,” “amodule” or variants thereof.

It should also be noted that in some alternate implementations, thefunctions/acts noted in the blocks may occur out of the order noted inthe flowcharts. For example, two blocks shown in succession may in factbe executed substantially concurrently or the blocks may sometimes beexecuted in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality/actsinvolved. Moreover, the functionality of a given block of the flowchartsand/or block diagrams may be separated into multiple blocks and/or thefunctionality of two or more blocks of the flowcharts and/or blockdiagrams may be at least partially integrated. Finally, other blocks maybe added/inserted between the blocks that are illustrated. Moreover,although some of the diagrams include arrows on communication paths toshow a primary direction of communication, it is to be understood thatcommunication may occur in the opposite direction to the depictedarrows.

Many different embodiments have been disclosed herein, in connectionwith the above description and the drawings. It will be understood thatit would be unduly repetitious and obfuscating to literally describe andillustrate every combination and subcombination of these embodiments.Accordingly, the present specification, including the drawings, shall beconstrued to constitute a complete written description of variousexample combinations and subcombinations of embodiments and of themanner and process of making and using them, and shall support claims toany such combination or subcombination.

Many variations and modifications can be made to the embodiments withoutsubstantially departing from the principles of the present invention.All such variations and modifications are intended to be included hereinwithin the scope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A first near field communication (NFC) circuit comprising: an antenna configured to inductively couple to signals emitted by a second NFC circuit; a charging circuit configured to output power provided by the inductive coupling through the antenna to the signals emitted by the second NFC circuit; a transceiver circuit configured to be powered by the charging circuit to transmit data for receipt by the second NFC circuit; and a transmission delay circuit configured to be powered by the charging circuit and control the transceiver circuit to delay transmission of the data until expiration of a defined delay time after the transceiver circuit has become sufficiently powered on to operate to transmit the data; wherein the transmission delay circuit is configured to set the defined delay time based on determining that signals from a third NFC circuit were received by the transceiver circuit.
 2. The first NFC circuit according to claim 1, wherein the transmission delay circuit is configured to set the defined delay time based on determining that signals from the third NFC circuit were received by the transceiver circuit within a threshold time after the transceiver circuit became sufficiently powered on to operate to transmit the data.
 3. The first NFC circuit according to claim 2, wherein the transmission delay circuit is configured to set the defined delay time to disable transmission of the data by the transceiver circuit until the first NFC circuit is subsequently powered off and back on.
 4. The first NFC circuit according to claim 1, wherein the transmission delay circuit is configured to set the defined delay time based on determining that signals from the third NFC circuit were received by the transceiver circuit while the transceiver circuit is transmitting the data to the second NFC circuit.
 5. The first NFC circuit according to claim 1, wherein the transceiver circuit is configured to receive a delay setting signal transmitted by the second NFC circuit; and the transmission delay circuit is configured to set the defined delay time based on the delay setting signal.
 6. The first NFC circuit according to claim 5, wherein the transmission delay circuit is configured to respond to the delay setting signal by disabling subsequent transmission of data by the transceiver circuit until the first NFC circuit is powered off and back on.
 7. The first NFC circuit according to claim 1, wherein the transmission delay circuit of the first NFC circuit is configured to determine that the signals from the third NFC circuit were received by the transceiver circuit of the first NFC circuit and responsively set the defined delay time.
 8. The first NFC circuit according to claim 1, wherein the transmission delay circuit is configured to set the defined delay time based on a count of a number of times data has been transmitted by the transceiver circuit for receipt by the second NFC circuit.
 9. The first NFC circuit according to claim 1, wherein the transceiver is configured to transmit data for receipt by the second NFC circuit at a frequency of 13.56 MHz.
 10. A user equipment comprising: a first near field communication (NFC) circuit that is configured to emit a signal to provide power through inductive coupling to a second NFC circuit of an accessory configured to be used with the user equipment; and a processor that is configured to transmit a delay setting signal through the first NFC circuit to the second NFC circuit of the accessory that controls a defined delay time that the second NFC circuit delays before beginning to transmit data after the second NFC circuit has become sufficiently powered on to operate to transmit the data; wherein the processor is configured to transmit the delay setting signal through the first NFC circuit to the second NFC circuit based on determining that signals from a third NFC circuit were received by the first NFC circuit.
 11. The user equipment according to claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to transmit the delay setting signal through the first NFC circuit to the second NFC circuit based on determining that signals from the third NFC circuit were received by the first NFC circuit within a threshold time after the first NFC circuit began emitting the signal to provide power through inductive coupling to the second NFC circuit of the accessory.
 12. The user equipment according to claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to transmit the delay setting signal responsive to determining that the signals from the third NFC circuit were received by the first NFC circuit within a threshold time after the first NFC circuit began emitting the signal to provide power to the second NFC circuit.
 13. A user equipment comprising: a first near field communication (NFC) circuit that is configured to emit a signal to provide power through inductive coupling to a second NFC circuit of an accessory configured to be used with the user equipment; and a processor that is configured to transmit a defined delay time through the first NFC circuit to the second NFC circuit of the accessory that controls a time that the second NFC circuit delays before beginning to transmit data after the second NFC circuit has become sufficiently powered on to operate to transmit the data; wherein the processor is configured to transmit the defined delay time through the first NFC circuit to the second NFC circuit based on determining that signals from a third NFC circuit were received by the first NFC circuit.
 14. The user equipment according to claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to transmit the defined delay time through the first NFC circuit to the second NFC circuit based on determining that signals from the third NFC circuit were received by the first NFC circuit while the first NFC circuit was receiving the data from the second NFC circuit of the accessory.
 15. The user equipment according to claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to transmit the defined delay time responsive to determining that the signals from the third NFC circuit were received by the first NFC circuit within a threshold time after the first NFC circuit began emitting the signal to provide power to the second NFC circuit. 